TVOne busts out two new HDMI switchers, four distribution amplifiers
Filed under: Other hardware, Ports, Switches, Others
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
EQC @ Jun 5th 2008 2:15AM
Every time this type of product gets announced, plenty of commenters point out where something very similar can be bought for much cheaper.
For example, a quick search took me to "ebuyhd.com" where I found this:
http://www.ebuyhd.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10110&cs_id=1011002&p_id=4571&seq=1&format=2&style=
4-input HDMI 1.3a switcher for $40.
and this:
http://www.ebuyhd.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10110&cs_id=1011002&p_id=4088&seq=1&format=2&style=
4-input HDMI 1.3b?? switcher for $40 with remote and built-in equalizer
or just go here:
http://www.ebuyhd.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10110&style=
to see the whole list of products.
Compared to this post's $145 for a 2-input and $195 for a 4-input HDMI switcher, I can't imagine what the differences could be.
Perhaps, in the future, can engadgetHD at least note the very high prices of the posted products? Or, alternatively, tell us what about these products makes them worth 5x the price of cheap versions?
TrentD @ Jun 5th 2008 9:27AM
It's just like everything else in electronics - you get what you pay for. Cheap products use cheap, off brand HDMI chips which have worse compatibility, aren't certified, and have poor quality control.
There are a whole lot of factors that make one HDMI device different than another. Buy what you want, but don't tell me your Vizio is as good as my NEC, and don't tell me your Monoprice switch is as good as my TVOne, Key Digital, Audio Authority, Gefen, etc.
TrentD @ Jun 5th 2008 9:29AM
Just visited the other site - if you want to buy an HDMI switch, a highly complex digital device, from a company who doesn't even know "alot" isn't a word, then go right ahead. Good luck getting any quality service or a decent product from them.
EQC @ Jun 5th 2008 12:06PM
I really am curious about this, as I'm looking to upgrade my home theater soon. Can you (or anybody) actually give me any concrete details about what makes these 5x more expensive devices better?
TrentD suggested that these cheap versions will be uncertified and have worse compatibility, but both products I link do say they are fully HDMI 1.3(a/b) certified. I don't know what the certification process entails, but I'd assume being 1.3a certified would imply compatibility with all 1.3a and earlier devices, and a proven capability to properly transmit the full bandwidth of the signal. I'm not sure what could go wrong when splitting/transmitting a digital signal...but I've still got no concrete reason why the devices Engadget has posted are better at doing so.
With a TV, I can understand the difference between a cheap and an expensive set: there are specs like "contrast ratio," "pixel response time" and "color accuracy" to care about....what can really be wrong with a fully certified switch box for HDMI signals? Is it possible for a certified device to mess up the digital signal somehow, and still be "certified"?
I guess you can complain about grammar on the website...but a re-seller with a lazy website doesn't imply lousy products. I've seen plenty of misspellings on the store-printed labels for products at all types of brick-and-mortar shops...that doesn't mean the products are crap.
Even if service from the website was lousy -- is that worth a 5x price premium?
Anybody able to tell me something specific about why these 5x more expensive products are actually better, if indeed they are?